To help reach out to the Hispanic community in central Alabama, a partnership effort has brought a new Hispanic catalytic missionary to Birmingham.
Cary Hanks, a former church planter in Indiana and Baptist representative to Ecuador, is working to foster the spread of the gospel among Hispanics in Birmingham, Bessemer, Calhoun, North Jefferson, Shelby, Pleasant Grove and Mud Creek Baptist associations.
“I hope to help facilitate the beginning of new Hispanic churches as well as the training and development of leaders,” Hanks said. “I also hope to assist other churches that are not Hispanic in reaching out to Hispanics and evangelizing and discipling them.”
His position was developed as a partnership between Birmingham Association, the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM) and the North American Mission Board.
“With the significant increase in the Hispanic population, there is an outcry from churches to associations and the state convention to help reach out,” said Jamey Pruett, associate in the SBOM office of associational missions and church planting. “The partnership effort is a way to bring in someone with a singular focus: Hispanic outreach. It puts our catalytic missionaries on the front lines.”
Originally from Atmore, Hanks and wife Anne, a Birmingham native, served for 15 years in Ecuador with the International Mission Board before moving to Indiana in 2003 to work with church development.
His first day working in Birmingham was Jan. 1.
“He came to help us develop a network and coalition of Hispanic pastors and give leadership to our work in the Hispanic community,” said Mike McLemore, Birmingham Association executive director. “Through him, we will be able to communicate better and address the needs of the Hispanic community in the area as well as find out where we need to plant some new churches.”
Three other Hispanic catalytic missionaries are already at work in the state — John Gunter in the southeast, Ed Ables in the northeast corner and Ramon Rivas in the northwest corner. (TAB)
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